Bandra GRP return stolen goods worth Rs 2.8 lakh to owners

The Bandra Government Railway Police on Friday returned  jewellery and smart phones — worth Rs 2.8 lakh — that were stolen in its jurisdiction to their owners. In March, Ekal Shah (30), who was travelling with her daughter to Gujarat, was robbed by two men posing as ticket checkers shortly after their train departed from Bandra Terminus. On Friday, five months after the theft, GRP Deputy Commissioner of Police (western) Deepak Devraj returned Shah’s belongings, along with those of 17 others, who were also victims of similar thefts.

The police said the accused, who were in their twenties, knocked on the door of the first-class compartment, in which Shah was travelling, and snatched  her mobile phone, bag and mangalsutra.

“As many as 15 individuals were arrested in connection with the thefts. Commuters at Bandra, Khar and Santacruz railway stations are often targeted by thieves during rush hour,” said senior inspector Anil Walzade of the Bandra GRP.

“The maximum cases of theft reported at Bandra GRP take place at Bandra Terminus. The accused are usually habitual offenders aged in their early twenties and live near the railway stations. We usually track the phones through their IMEI numbers. We have found that thieves mostly use these phones  and not sell them,” said P N Bhosle, sub-inspector, Bandra GRP.